Four-way valve



Patented May 26, 1953 FOUR-WAY VALVE Joseph Briechle, Floral Park, N.Y., assignor to Scovill Manufacturing Company, Waterbury, Conn., acorporation of -Connecticut Application January 4, 1950, Serial No.136,770

9 Claims. (Cl. 137-622) My present invention relates to multiple-wayvalves and more particularly to four-way valves of the type employed incontrolling double-acting i pistons or equivalent pneumatic motor means,and aims to provide certain improvements in such valves.

Among the objects of my invention are to provide a four-way valveWhich'is simple and exceedingly compact in construction, which iseconomical to produce because of the absence of movable leak-tightpistons and which is highly efficient in use and has long life.

The foregoing and other objects of my -invention not specificallyenumerated are accomplished by the four-way valve mechanism, a preferredembodiment of which is hereinafter described and illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, wherein- Figure l is a top plan view of afour-Way valve embodying my invention. f

Fig. 2 is a diametrical section taken along the plane of the line 2-2 ofthe valve mechanism of Fig. 1 showing the operating parts in onelimitingposition.

Fig. 3 is a section similar to that of Fig. 2 showing the operatingparts in another limiting position.

Fig. 4 is an end elevation of the valve shown in Fig. 1 as viewed fromthe left end thereof.

Fig. 5 is a diametrical section on an enlarged scale of a poppet valveassembly constituting a novel feature of my invention.

Fig. 6 is a diametrical section on an enlarged scale of a packing sealconstituting a novel feature of my invention.

Referring to the drawings, the'multiple-way valve mechanism may be saidto basically comprise a body member or casing I9 having a boretherethrough, oneend of which is closed by a head II which serves tohold an end plug IIa within the body and through which plug extends aslidable shaft I2 movable axially of the body member and having mountedthereon a pair of axially spaced, double-acting poppet valves I3 and I3aadapted to coact with valve seats, as will be presently explained.

The body member or casing I is of generally elongate shape and is formedwith a cylindrical bore I4 extending inwardly from the plugaccommodating end thereof and with a reduced bore I which terminates atthe opposite end vof the body in an internally screw-threaded portion I6adapted for connection with a pipe or hose coupling or the like.Extending outwardly from the body portion, preferably on opposite sidesof a vertical central plane extending therethrough, are protuberancesI'I, I8 and I9 each formed with a screw-threaded opening therethroughleading into the bore I4 and each adapted for connection with a pipe orhose coupling, the passage 20 through the protuberance I1 constituting apressure fluid inlet to the body member and the passages 2l and 22through the protuberances I8 and I9, respectively, constituting outletsleading to pressure operable devices, such as a double acting pressureoperable piston in a cylinder. The end wall of the body member betweenthe bores I4 and I5 is formed with a flat end face 23 which constitutesone seat. for the double-acting poppet valve I3a., as will be presentlyexplained. The base of the body member is formed with a duct or passage24 which, at one end, has an upright component 25 leading into thecylindrical bore I4 and at its other end has an upright component 26leading into the bore 23. For securing the body member upon a suitablemounting, said body member is formed with laterally projecting, piercedlugs 21 and 28.

The head II in addition to providing a closure for one end of the bodymember I0 to which it may be suitably affixed by bolts 29 and forholding the plug IIa. within the body member, also serves in the presentembodiment of my invention to house means for reversing the flow of uidthrough the valve mechanism. To accomplish this, the head II is formedwith-a cylinder 30 having a piston 3I slidable therein and urged in onedirection by a coil spring 32, said piston being packed forair-tightness with an annular V-shaped packing 33. The piston 3| ishollow and accommodates within its bore one end of the shaft I2. To movethe shaft I2 upon admission into the cylinder 3i]` of fluid underpressure through a coupling nipple 34, the shaft is formed with a recessinto which extends a pin 36 carried by the piston 3 I.

The plug I Ia is formed at its outer end with an annular recess 31 foraccommodating the end of the spring 32 and at its inner endv is formedWith a flat face 38 which constitutes a valve seat for the double-actingpoppet valve I3. As aforementioned, the plug I Ia constitutes a bearingthrough which the shaft I2 is axially slidable, and axially inward ofsaid bearing the plug is formed with any enlarged' bore 39, an externalannular recess 40 in open communication with the passage 25 and withradial openings 4I between said bore 39 and recess 40.

The major portion of the shaft I2 which extends into bore I4 of the bodymember isof reduced diameter and provides with the shaft portion oflarger diameter a shoulder 42 and at tainer 41 and held therein by aclamping-washer 48. The packing washer 6 has a substantially cylindricalcentral axial portiond'and' a sub'- stantially radial portion 50, thecontact edge l of which is adapted to seat against the flat valve seats23 or 3S previously described. The edge 5l may be said to be provided bythe intersection `of spring 32 acting to hold the shaft I2 at theextreme left (as shown in Fig. 2), it will be apparent that normally thecontact edge 6d on packing seal a will seat against the retainer ring ilof poppet valve I3a, wherefore incoming pressure will pass into chamber5l, then through thehopenings 5,3 into the cage 58 and 'from the cage 53tothe pga'ssagejZI leading to a fluid operated motor to do useful work,while pressure fluid from passage 22 will exhaust to atmosphere throughcage 53a, chamber 5'Ia and bore I5. To reverse the operation of thefluid operated motor, the shaft I2 must be moved to the right to providea seal between the contact edge iid on flexible vpacking 5t andtheretainer of poppet valve I3,

which movement will simultaneously open the `seal between contact edgeS54 on iiexible ypacking Staand retainer of poppet valve I3a and proasubstantially cylindrical surface 52 with a conical surface 53 of theradial portion 5d of the gasket. said edge 5i the gasket retainer visout back to provide an obtuse annular dihedral. angle 54. The retaineron its opposite face' is substantially flat, as shown at 55, andconstitutes avalve seat n for flexible packing seals, presently 'to becle-- scribed.

The cylindrical bore l l in the body It is divided,

by a pair of flexible packing seals 5t and 5ta, disposed on axiallyopposite sides of the passage 28,

into end chambers 5l' and la within which the poppet valves I3 and I3a,respectively, are mov-- able. Also mounted within said chambers 51a areannular cages 58 and 58a communicating respectively with the passages 2land 22, said cages being formed vwith radial openings in their bases forestablishingT communication heM tween the chambers 5l and 57a and thepassages 2 I and 22, respectively. To Yhold the flexible packn ing seals5B and 53a and the annular cages 58 andA 58a in their respectivepositions, a coil spring 60 is disposed between the flexible .packingseals to abut thereagainst. If desired, filler or spacer rings 5I may bedisposed between the packing seals and the annular cages.

The flexible packing seals 5S and 55a are identical and are each formedwith a peripheral cylindrical flange 52 adapted to make air-tightcontact with the bore of the body member, a substantially fiat radialportion 63 and a contact seat Sli extends radially inward Abeyond theinner f boundary of the spacer ring ill so as not to impair'theflexibility of said valve seat.

The effective areas of the Jpoppet valve packing washers i6 whichcoactwith the valve seats 23 and 38 at the remote ends of chambers 5'laand 5l, respectively, to exhaust, are larger than the effective area ofthe contact edge 6E of the packing seals 56 and 56a which coact with thefiat faces 55 on the retainers 4l of the poppet valves so `that fluidpressure acting on the pfOlUDet valves to'seat them against the exhaustvalve seats 23 and 38 would normally hold said valves in either oi` thetwo valve seating positions to which they had been moved. In order thatthis may be ac complished, it is to be understood that the re tainers 47do not .provide a leak-tight seal with the inner circumferentialsurfaces of the cages. Accordingly, upon admission of fluid I.pressurethrough the passage 20 the parts would remain in equilibrium. However,in view of the force of the To allow for flexing and deforniing ofvide'a seal between the contact edge 5I of poppet valve I3a and thevalveseat 23, as shown in Fig. 3. "Such movement of the shaft I2.may-beaccoinplishedin numerous ways, for example, 'by pilot operatedpressure upon the piston 31,. as herein shown, or by any suitablemanual, me'u chanical or electrically operated means. 'O1-di narily in afour-way valve of the type here dis--I closed, the 'reversalv of thefluid through the valve mechanism, may take :place many hundred times aminute with comparatively little wear on the valves because of theirnovel constructionv and iiexing action in operation.

rom the foregoing' detailed description it will be apparent that theconstruction and assembly of-the'four-way valve is exceedingly simpl-evand that the entire mechanism contained within the body memberv can beinserted as a unit through one end of the body member after being firstmounted on the shaft I2, or, if desired, said .parts can be successivelyintroduced into the body member from one end thereof. lz'further-` more,the assembly can beaccomplishedwith but a single packing to preventleakage during opera# tion and that practically all detrimental leakagethrough the device may be checked through the use'of a single liin-ringGI'mounted within the bore I4 between the inner end of the plug IIa andthe cage 58. p f While I have sho-Wn a compact and highly eiiicientfour-Way valve structure, it will be understood that modifications indetails of construction may be-'rnade within the range of engineeringskill without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined inthe appended claims.

W hat I claim is: l1. In a multiple-way valve mechanism, the combinationof a body lhaving a cylindrical bore, a Apair of axially spaced annularpacking seals dividing said bore into two end chambers in whichalternately fluid pressure is to be established, a pressure fluid supplypassage between said packing seals adapted to be selectively placed, incom,- munication with each of said two chambers through the centralv,openings in said packing seals, said packing seals' each having avalve seat reversely arranged relatively to the other and directedtoward an end chamber, an exhaust valve seat at the remote end of eachof the cham-bers directed toward one another, an axially movable shaftextending through said chambers and having xedly mounted thereon a pairof axially spaced double-acting puppet valve members each adapted forcoasting with a valve seat on. the packing seal and ava1ve seat of arespective chamberto close simultaneously-the supplyof pres-sure fluidto one chamber and the exhaust of pressure from the other chamber.

2. A multiple-way valve mechanism according to claim 1 wherein the valveseats on the packing seals are deformable `and provide leak-tight sealswith non-deformable faces on the poppet valves.

3. A multiple-way valve mechanism according to claim 1 wherein thechamber valve seats are non-deformable and provide leak-tight seals withdeformable packings on the poppet valves.

4. A multiple-way valve mechanism according to claim 1 wherein thedouble-acting poppet valves each has a non-deformable face adapted toprovide a leak-tight seal with the valve seat on a packing seal, and adeformable packing adapted to make a leak-tight seal with the chambervalve seat.

5. In Ia multiple-Way valve mechanism, the combination of a body havinga cylindrical bore, said body having adjacent each end a passage to theatmosphere and intermediate said ends a pressure fluid inlet passage andtwo outlet passages adapted for connection to pressure operable devices,each of said outlet passages being spaced axially of the inlet passageon opposite sides thereof, means dividing the bore into end chamberseach in communication with an outlet passage and adapted for selectivecommunication with the inlet passage or the passage to atmosphere, aslidable shaft extending axially through said chambers and having xedlymounted thereon a pair of axially spaced poppet valves each disposed formovement Within an end chamber, and valve seats at the ends of saidchambers on which valve seats the poppet valves are adapted to seat asthe shaft is moved to close simultaneously the supply of pressure uid toone chamber and exhaust the pressure uid from the outlet passage of theother chamber to the atmosphere, the means dividing the body bore intochambers, the shaft, and the poppet Valves being insertable into thebody through one end thereof.

6. A multiple-way valve mechanism according to claim 5 wherein the partsinserta-ble into the body are held therein by an end plug which providesa bearing for the slidable shaft.

7. A multiple-way valve mechanism `according to claim 5 wherein each ofthe end -chambers has mounted therein an annular 'cage providing asupport for the means for dividing the bore into end chambers, and saidcages each having openings therein through Which open communication isestablished between a chamber and the outlet passage leading to thepressure operable device.

8. A multiple-Way valve mechanism according to claim 5 wherein the meansfor dividing the bore in the body into chambers are a pair of disclikeannular packing seals.

9. A multiple-way valve mechanism according to claim 5 wherein each ofthe end chambers has mounted therein in an annular cage, the means fordividing the bore in the body into chambers are a pair of disc-likeannular packing seals, and spring means for holding the packing sealsagainst the cages and the cages in position within the body.

JOSEPH BRIECHLE.

References Cited in the file 0f this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 1,216,354 Perkins Feb. 20, 1917 1,836,184 Nixon Dec. 15, 19312,208,188 Johnston July 16, 1940 2,270,838 Langdon Jan. 20, 19422,395,941 Rockwell Mar. 5, 1946 2,441,201 Ludwig May 11, v1948 2,503,827Langmore Apr. 11, 1950 2,542,254 Lamb Feb. 20, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTSNumber Country Date 765,827 France June 4, 1934

